[jjxaker]

I hope after the current reports of compatibility problems with Apple, iFi does not ruin the potential of this DAC.
Android does not have any power restrictions (especially top smartphones), and this dongle fits perfectly with it.
Apple cannot fully provide work either Cayin RU6 or iFi Go Bar. this is a top dongles, requiring more power than it can give Apple. will work, but the sound quality will be inferior.
I really don’t want iFi to limit power, or implement any mechanism to reduce power consumption. let them release the firmware separately for the Apple!

 

[AudioAndCoffee]

Despite the issue of interoperability of lightning cables, this Go Bar surely is amazing!. Such a tiny package is packed with so many features. And its presentation of sound is gorgeous! With sensitive iems (like SEM9), all i need is to turn on the iematch and can crank up the vol to my liking of loudness! The sound to me, relative to RU6 is more clean, detailed, more precise imaging, v good dynamics gradation! The RU6 on the other hand is somewhat more organic, thicker in sound density but less detailed .. love both dongles! Both dongles can deliver v good dynamics in vocals! They make the vocal jazz I'm listening to flies ..

Iematch may not be for everyone. There's a effect on sound signature.

 

[ruffandruff]

I hope a third party measures the power output of this thing. I wonder if it actually outputs the offical figures in the real world.

 

[7onyMustDive]

So I got my iFi Gold Bar, 10th Anniversary edition. I listened to it connected to my Meze Liric through 3.5mm. A few first impressions.

Hardware:
-By far the best build quality I've ever seen in any portable DAC or even DAP. It's beautifully mirror polished(fingerprint magnet though), the text is indented for easier readability. Has heft due to the copper casing and gold plating, actually heavier than my iBasso DX240 DAP.
-Supplied cables are great quality and match the aesthetic of the DAC (gold and black).
-Tiny lights are a little hard to see in daytime, much easier to see in nighttime.
-It runs warm. Not hot, nor completely cold. Always warm immediately after plugging in.
-The leather case is surprisingly useful for transportation since it carries the DAC and 1 Cable.

Sound:
-Okay, the imaging is incredible and the first thing that jumped out at me. It’s extremely 3D. I'm not sure if the correct word is imaging or soundstage to be honest, but I felt it was even better than my iBasso DX240.
-The Turbo Mode jump is a noticeable change in volume. I still use Normal Mode when listening to Tidal with Force Volume toggled on. I turn on Turbo Mode when playing games or watching Youtube since the volume gets low. No problem at all powering my Meze Liric.
-The detail and transparency is incredible. On par with my iBasso DX240. I actually like the Gold Bar more than the DX240 when it comes to detail retrieval.
-Treble seems sharper/peakier than iBasso DX240. I think it sounds a little more clinical/digital it while the DX240 is warmer/analog.
-Personally I think it's better than my Dragonfly Red in pretty much everyway.

Random thoughts/Questions:
-With the updated firmware, I never see the MQA light turn Magenta/MQB. I know this DAC hardware decodes MQA, but even with Passthrough MQA turned off in Tidal I still get blue or green but never Magenta. What's the point of even having Magenta/MQB?
-I wish the driver name in Tidal was "iFi Gold Bar, 10th Anniversary" or something and not some ambiguous "AMR HD + USB Audio". The Audioquest Dragonfly Red get's it's full name in Tidal so why not this DAC?

 

[ayang02]

Has heft due to the copper casing and gold plating, actually heavier than my iBasso DX240 DAP.

How is this possible? The DX240 weighs more than 200g. Is the Gold bar a lot heavier than the 64g spec?

 

[Doug2507]

Any comparisons with S2 yet?

 

[zolom]

Listened to the Questyle M15 today (Focal Stellia, 4.4mm). It sounds stellar. Great instruments separation and stage, dark background. Noticably better than the usb audio of the iFi Go Blu, with all its audio gimmicks.

I wonder how does it compare to the iFi Go Bar.

Thanks

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

Everyone made a ton of sarcastic comments when I asked if this worked with an iPhone. Now look - it is super buggy.

 

[7onyMustDive]

How is this possible? The DX240 weighs more than 200g. Is the Gold bar a lot heavier than the 64g spec?

Yea I was puzzled at first too since I checked the specs when I felt the Gold bar. Also my DX240 has a case on it too.

But I think it’s feels that way because the Gold bar is smaller and faaaar denser while the weight of the DX240 is spread out since it’s larger.

 

[gavinfabl]

Received the Go Bar and the Gold Go Bar, going to have some fun comparing to the Mojo 2 as well.

My first gripe, as mentioned by a few others, is to update the firmware you need a Windows computer, of which I don't have, mac all the way. So infuriating. So I had to ask my neighbour if I could borrow his laptop. Then I spent thirty minutes swearing at the bloody stupid laptop, wondering What do I do with bin file or whatever it was, as their was no instructions. It was only when I wondered what the windows driver was for, downloaded, and could see their was a installation program in the download. 5 minutes later, all done.

Gold Go Bar sounds terrific on first listen. Got a ton more listening to do now.

Please add some ability to install the firmware other than using a Windows computer.

 

[ClieOS]

 

[Melting735]

Received the Go Bar and the Gold Go Bar, going to have some fun comparing to the Mojo 2 as well.

My first gripe, as mentioned by a few others, is to update the firmware you need a Windows computer, of which I don't have, mac all the way. So infuriating. So I had to ask my neighbour if I could borrow his laptop. Then I spent thirty minutes swearing at the bloody stupid laptop, wondering What do I do with bin file or whatever it was, as their was no instructions. It was only when I wondered what the windows driver was for, downloaded, and could see their was a installation program in the download. 5 minutes later, all done.

Gold Go Bar sounds terrific on first listen. Got a ton more listening to do now.

Please add some ability to install the firmware other than using a Windows computer.

Looking forward to your impression on Gold Bar vs Mojo2

 

[JelStIy]

How does it compare to the W2?

 

[ClieOS]

How does it compare to the W2?

Not technically as proficient as W2 / W2-131, not quite as euphonic as RU6 - otherwise the initial impression is very positive, pretty much belong to the first tier category as far as my ears can tell. It has a slightly warmish hue to its sound signature, which is quite indicative to the general iFi's house sound. The Gold Bar version is definitely heavy though. The leather case is very nice but only for storage, not for on-the-use.

 

[zolom]

Ready to pull the trigger on a superb usb dongle dac.
Please, can anyone provide an impression on how the iFi Go Bar SQ, compares with the Questyle M15?

Thanks